The Return of the Penguin
Any steps which I gloss over in the following section will be found in greater detail in the Ubuntu Pocket Guide. I take no responsibility or liability for anything bad that happens if you decide to install a new operating system on a computer.
2009-10-31_evaluation
I evaluated Ubuntu via the Windows Ubuntu Install (Wubi). This let me test applications to ensure that I could do everything on Ubuntu that I wanted to. After a couple of days, I found that I could and so began to plan my new Ubuntu install. Just download wubi.exe, run it from Windows, define how much space to use for Ubuntu, choose login creds, take a coffee/ lunch break, return to your comp with a dual install!
2009-11-04_new_pc
I was almost ready to install onto my existing PC when a colleague at work showed me a new PC from eBuyer for £150. I made a quick decision and he ordered one for me that day, but gave me one that he still had boxed at home, that he'd bought the week before. So, I was ready to begin!
2009-11-05_DVDs
I downloaded the Ubuntu 9.10 (64 bit) DVD image (2009-11-05) on my old Windows PC and burnt this to a DVD. If your PC is older, you may need to use the 32 bit version.
I backed up all my data from my old PC to DVDs.
2009-11-06_build
I installed Ubuntu onto my new PC. This took about an hour, but does include as part of the DVD image most of the applications you'd need, including:
The new PC I had bought included an HDMI output, but this wasn't displaying properly on my HD TV/monitor. I used the normal SVGA connector until I downloaded the proprietary drivers for the card (see 2009-11-13).
I was unfortunately then delayed for a week by my Internet Service Provider (SmallWorld) who were unable to get my PCs MAC address enabled to connect through the broadband link. This wasn't an Ubuntu issue, as my old PC was happily connected when running Ubuntu. After a long phone call on 2009-11-13 they finally got it added in correctly and my new Ubuntu PC connected instantly to the Internet. Yay! However, I had used the time productively by ensuring that all my data was copied over to my new PC via those DVDs.
I created four user accounts:
2009-11-13_additions
During the next week (a couple of hours in total) I added what I wanted from the Software Repositories:
The last step was to install my Windows based email and news software (Turnpike) under Wine, so that I could still read old emails, etc.
That was it. Done.
2009-11-20_learning
Over the last week I got used to the new Operating System.
2009-11-26_WordBiz
The only initial hiccup was to do with my Scrabble client, as I had to run it from within a Terminal session, which was a bit clunky. I had to change to the folder (directory) containing Wordbiz, then run it. This was explained clearly on the http://www.isc.ro and so I checked up how to write a Bash script file to run it (which took about 30 minutes for me in total):
#!/bin/bash cd /full_path_to_folder_containing_WordBiz java -jar wordbiz.jar
and set the file properties to be executable
I've also discovered that when clicking on the scrabble board and typing out a word, this also types the letters into the message bar at the bottom right of WordBiz. If you then use the return key, this sends the letters to your opponent, chat channel, or the command line on ISC. Oops. To get around this, use the escape key and click on DONE, rather than hitting return. It is a small annoying glitch, but soon gotten used to.
2009-11-29_satisfaction
I've been using Ubuntu exclusively at home for three weeks now and I'm perfectly happy. I have moved over much quicker than I originally intended to, and that is a testament to how impressive Ubuntu is to me. Again, it is personal choice, and you might not feel the same. However, if you do try Ubuntu (or another Linux distribution) do give it a month's trial.
2009-12-05_private_folder
My next step was to protect sensitive data even more than being on Linux simply provided - by creating a private folder. On Ubuntu this is an encrypted folder which is unlocked by that user at log on, and relocked when they log off. This prevents other users browsing to it, or it being available during a recovery session. I will use this folder for any documents that would contain personal data.
2009-12-06_recycling
Now that I was happy with Ubuntu, my attention turned to my old PC which was going to my nephew for Christmas. I went through the following process which would be useful for anyone doing a dual boot PC:
On my old PC, compared to Windows, Ubuntu was faster, smoother, more stable and booted more quickly.
2010-03-20_more
After a couple of months with my Ubuntu PC, I've added a few more applications over recent weeks:
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